6.5 Creedmoor for moose

[WildRose]

There is no such thing as overkill! What, too dead, has never been spoken.

Dead is dead, you don't need a fist or basketball sized exit wound to kill any animal.

Using a bullet capable of the job and putting it in the right spot makes far more difference than diameter.

Bigger gives you more room for error though and that is undeniable but even that isn't all that much.

 

[AFraser]

As any African hunter will tell you, what kills big tough animals is penetration.
With the RIGHT BULLET a 6.5mm has tremendous penetration.
Doesn't mean it will stop a charging grizzly though...

 

[the blur]

Dead is dead, that doesn't mean they have fallen down yet. The amount of residual air is incredible.

My 6.5 CM killed a bear too. Bang flop. No blood, no trailing, bear just flipped over dead. Happened to be a neck shot, not that I was aiming for the neck, but 200 yards.. little wind.

300 win super duper mag in the guts or brisket is a poor shot. Doesn't matter how big the hole is. Poor shot is poor shot.

 

[Jluck]

Seem like energy and hydraulic shock are factors long forgotten in favor of defending (justifying)todays whizbang fad cartridge or bullet of the month and paper racing a certain caliber.

 

[wbm]

Is the 6.5 Creedmoor an adequate round for moose hunting in Alaska ?

Sure. Why it takes seven pages to say that? Who knows! The 6.5x55 Swede has killed a lot of moose for a lot of decades in Scandinavia. The 6.5 Creedmoor can do the same. Would it be my cartridge of choice for moose? No.

 

[FEENIX]

The "NUT" behind the trigger remains the biggest factor ... from choosing the rifle/caliber or chambering and bullet to the ability to harvest the game humanely.

Because it is AK moose and big brownie country, this "NUT" will also factor in the big bears in the rifle/caliber or chambering selection process. My 6.5 CM or my 6.5x55 will definitely "NOT" my choice with or without the brownies.

 

[wbm]

Because it is AK moose and big brownie country, this "NUT" will also factor in the big bears in the rifle/caliber or cambering selection process.

He says. "GOOD IDEA" Love it!

 

[MOOSE39465]

From my own experience I wouldn't call a 6.5 creedmoor anything more then a plinking rifle. Lost 2 deer this year due to poor performance.

 

[wbm]

How odd. All our guys in New Mexico did just fine with 6.5 Creedmoor's. Elk and one very large mule deer. Nothing ran away or required more than one shot. Think we will just keep our "plinking rifles" and...well.. just keep plinking away.

FWIW Arrived in coastal South Carolina in November and noticed how many hunters are using the 6.5CM for deer. Works here also. Who knew?

 

[Starlite]

Adequate , what does that mean? Too many better choices for Alaska period! Hunting any animal big or small presents all kinds of scenarios to be encountered. Shots at range, broadside , quartering , head on shots , charges heavy cover etc! This one rifle thing may be economics and that's understandable but to choose the light end of the spectrum is beyond me. I started hunting at 12 years old and was shooting a 30-06 at 14 and weighing a strapping 100 lbs. One of the best female hunters I ever met hunted with a 3006 into her seventies! I never heard her complain about recoil . This is the problem with the fan boy love of the 6.5 CM , it can't be just a great little round , it has to be the greatest thing ever ! Why can't we just say yes you can kill a moose with the CM but there are better choices. Like the man said " just because it will do it, doesn't mean you should.

I agree with 99% of what you've stated. However,
I once shot a 50 cal; I had lots of adrenaline flowing. I can't even remember the recoil. Totally different story shooting it at the range. Recoil isn't a factor EVER when your defending yourself or dropping your trophy animal. Accurate shooting is ALWAYS important; you can't kill what you can't hit. I'm not a fan of the commentary WRT SHOULD YOU. However, This can be debated til the cows come home (another time maybe). I'll finish by saying; always be thinking of how you would want it. For me it's within nanoseconds and painlessly. That's how it should be done....... so if you can accomplish this with a 6.5CM then I say give er. I'd say the 160gr pill (round nose) by Hornady with superformance powder and a magnum primer will perform great when placed into the head/neck or boiler room. As others have stated if your hunting in an environment where very large bears are lurking and where perhaps your now the prey...well that's different. Maybe a benelli semiautomatic 300 winmag is best. I don't know. To me a hand gun might be better suited for the bears as you can actually keep your eye on that fella. Again I don't know as I've never been faced with that situation. Maybe I'd just follow the advice of the locals. (The ones that actually do it). FWIW my minimum would be 7mm mag in Alaska but the handgun would be a the Ruger GP100 (357 mag). It's accurate!! It allows quick accurate follow up shots. It has great penetration too.
Anyway. That's my 2c

 

[RevJim]

Bears and keeping dying moose out of the water/thickets would be my #1 criteria on moose. AFA killing, sure, even the little 6.5/54 Mannlicher has killed them AND big bear...so a 6.5 CM, sure.

 

[wbm]

you can't kill what you can't hit.

LOL! Reminds me of a long ago old Saffari PH that was critical of Americans showing up with rifles they could not shoot accurately because of heavy recoil. "If you can't hit it with a 30-06 ain't nothing bigger going to help."

 

[Swamplord]

would love to see the creed guys go on a drop off DIY caribou hunt to Unimak Is and leave them there for a couple weeks with their 6.5 Creedmoors

or Kodiak Island for deer hunting and do the same

Montague Is for deer ?

the creed is perfect for caribou & deer is it not ?

http://huntingreport.com/a-recommendation-for-big-alaska-brown-bears-on-unimak-island/

 

[CUTTER1]

I've killed multiple moose (Shirus, Canadian, Alaskan)! Years of hunting the north country has taught me to be prepared! After a Grizzly confrontation in AK and a couple close calls with cow moose defending there calves and a rutting bull moose who tried in thick brush to hurt me and prove that he was as dangerous as a Cape buffalo, I go prepared even if I'm out just salmon fishing! Short barrel shotgun with slugs while fishing and while hunting a 375 Mashburn Imp. And in Alaska always my 460 Rowland even for a trip to the outhouse! Not much scares me but a cow moose protecting her calf or a bull in rut are as dangerous as a grizzly! If I'm unsuccessful in stopping an attack from one these animals I hope I can save the last round for myself as it will be a lot less painful end! Good luck with your hunt, hope all goes well and you come home safe and sound.